Over the weekend Apple announced that it would be expanding its iMac 1TB Seagate hard drive replacement programme, considerable increasing the number of iMac machines that are now eligible to swap out their existing hard drives.

The replacement program now includes iMacs sold between October 2009 and July 2011 that are equipped with 1TB Seagate hard drives, so if you haven’t already, now might be a good time to check yours.

Apple explains: “Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011. Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.

The program covers affected iMacs for three years after the first retail sale of the unit or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and will provide further updates to this program as needed.”

Apple first acknowledged the issue with the Seagate hard drives back in 2007, but didn’t start rolling out a repair programme until two years later. It’s also not the first time that Seagate hard drives have caused problems for Apple and its hardware owners. For more information jump over to the Apple repair programme website.